


After the Peace

by PurplexKitty14



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Awkward Sexual Situations, Explicit Sexual Content, Intersex Loki, Jötunn Loki, Loki and Laufey don't get along, Loki has a hard time adjusting to life in Asgard, M/M, Masturbation, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Mpreg, Quiet Loki, Racism, Uncomfortable Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2014-11-25
Packaged: 2018-02-17 11:01:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2307284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurplexKitty14/pseuds/PurplexKitty14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the end of the renewed war between Asgard and Jotunheim, an agreement was made. Loki would marry Thor and move to Asgard in exchange for the return of the Casket of Ancient Winters. The only problem was how could Thor ever learn to love the son of his enemy? It turned out he would get some unexpected help. Some very unexpected help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! I know what you're thinking: "Another WIP? How could you do this to us?" I know, and I apologize to anyone waiting for me to finish my other stories, but I just had to get this idea out since it's been bouncing around inside my head for a while. This chapter is just some background info and takes place before anything that happens in the summary, but I'd really like to get your opinions on it so far. I have a basic idea of where this will be going, but definitely nothing is set in stone as of right now, so if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, I'd love to here them.
> 
> -PxK

The battle with Jotunheim raged on far longer than Thor was led to believe it would. He had heard tales of the terrible frost giants and their frozen, barren realm. He had heard of how badly they had been broken after the first war. He had even heard of how outmatched they were. Asgard’s military might was just too strong, but Jotunheim refused to surrender. Even after countless cities and lives had been destroyed, they would not yield. 

Thor went to battle about halfway through the fighting, and he stayed there until the end, and a hesitant peace was reached. 

Prior to going to war in Jotunheim, Thor thought he knew battle. Thor knew what it was to challenge another in a test of physical strength or weapons prowess. He knew what it was to hunt in the remote forests of Asgard and Vanaheim and Alfheim. He thought he knew what it was to be cold, to sleep on the ground night after night. He thought all his years of experience would be enough to prepare him for Jotunheim. It was not so.

After arriving in Jotunheim and stepping off the temporary Bifrost site, Thor was struck by how different this chill was. An icy breeze blew through his hair, and he wrapped his cloak tighter around his shoulders. Surely the wind would die down, or he would grow used to it. That was not the case. The cold persisted. Some would say it even got worse. It was unlike any cold Thor had ever felt before. During all his time there, Thor never saw the sun. Did Jotunheim even have one? He saw no water, only ice and snow. 

Meeting his troops for the first time was another experience he hadn’t expected. The warriors Thor knew back home were all proud, regaling each other with tales of great triumph, of glorious victory. Thor was not greeted by the enthusiastic back slap of an enthusiastic warrior but rather a series of uninterested, despairing looks. There was no hope to be found in this camp. Thor tried his best to rally the troops, but he soon gave it up as a lost cause. These men had been here since the beginning or nearly the beginning. They had been fighting for far too long. They had seen too much death and destruction. Winning the war didn’t seem to matter to them. They just wanted it to be over, so that they could return to Asgard and try to forget this terrible ordeal had ever happened.

For the first few weeks, Thor and his troops saw no battle. It was a relief to all but Thor, for the young, brash prince was eager to prove himself to the Nine Realms. Day after day, Thor received word from other legions and scouts. He studied the locations of major cities, roads, and the positions of each army. When he was called for, he would be ready. Night after night, Thor slept on the hard, unforgiving ice. Even the mat and furs he slept on and under couldn’t keep the cold from getting to him.

It was with great enthusiasm and excitement that Thor received the news that he and his men would be needed to battle a little further west from their current location. Even the negative reactions of his troops couldn’t dampen his high spirits. Finally, Thor would get his chance to show everyone his strength and power.

The first battle couldn’t have gone any better if he’d dreamt it. He fell many a frost giant with the aid of his trusted hammer, Mjolnir. Together, they fought through wave after wave of Jotuns, calling down jagged bolts of lightning and splitting the ice beneath their feet. If Thor hadn’t known his comrades true feelings, he would have thought they were the most fervent supporters of the war. Each man fought valiantly, surely laying the foundation for Asgard’s victory in this frozen wasteland. Those who met their end on that battlefield would be welcomed wholeheartedly at the gates of Valhalla. 

The following months went on in much the same manner. Thor and his troops would be called in as backup whenever they were needed and spent the rest of their time moving from city to city to help with the occupation process. The Jotnar were a stubborn people, and did not take kindly to the presence of the Aesir. Everyone from the elderly to the youngest child would try to resist, would not accept their place as a defeated people.

One day, Thor received word from his father that he was needed in the Jotun capital city of Utgard. It was the first personal correspondence he had had with his father since he had left Asgard. According to his father’s letter, King Laufey was ready to surrender, and Thor would be needed at the peace negotiations. Thor could not help the small amount of disappointment he felt at the news. He knew he still had so much more to prove. He could make his father proud by completely crushing the Jotuns if only he would allow this war to continue. Regardless, Thor knew it was not his place to disobey his father’s orders, so he set off for Utgard immediately, leaving his second in command in charge.

Thor swung his hammer so that he could fly as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to waste any time or risk being caught off guard by any frost giants. As much as Thor believed in his prowess in combat, he wasn’t stupid. It wasn’t smart to knowingly put yourself into unnecessary harm.

It didn’t take long for him to reach Utgard, and he flew through the ruined remains of the once proud Jotun capital until he landed on the top steps of the palace. He could see many frost giants look out their windows, staring at Thor with open disgust and hatred, but Thor paid them no mind. They were defeated. 

Thor turned and strode into the crumbling palace.

 

Loki had long sense believed that his dam, Laufey King, would bring ruin to Jotunheim. He was old, blinded by hatred, and too willing to hold onto old grievances. Loki believed the past belonged in the past, but that was not how his dam saw things. It was just after Loki’s birth that Jotunheim lost the first war. It had been humiliating for their proud race, but most of all for his dam. Loki could understand being made to look like a fool before the Realms. They had had the source of Jotunheim’s life stolen from them. The Casket of Ancient Winters was taken from them by that selfish king, Odin. They had been defeated, yet Odin saw fit to steal the heart of their realm, and after a thousand years, Jotunheim was dying. 

Loki could understand his dam’s desperation. He knew what it would mean for their realm if they went without the Casket for much longer. Jotunheim would begin to decay from the inside out, and before long, the ice would crumble beneath them and they would be lost in an endless abyss.

Loki knew they had to do something to get the Casket back, and he suggested many ideas to his dam, but each time he was disregarded. Laufey would not listen to anything he had to say, but Loki persisted. Over and over again he would seek an audience with his dam, and each time he would either be denied or ridiculed. 

The Jotnar were a warrior race, and Laufey did not take kindly to Loki’s suggestions of peaceful negotiations. After a while, Laufey ordered that Loki be confined to his chambers because he was becoming a nuisance. HIs dam had him locked in and assigned guards to stand watch, but Laufey should have known that wouldn’t stop a powerful sorcerer such as Loki. 

Loki broke out of his prison with very little effort, and while he hadn’t expected Laufey to be proud, he hadn’t expected what would happen next either.

“I have arranged for your mating with Lord Angrboda in the south. You will leave at once,” Laufey informed him, no amount of emotion present in his cold voice.

Loki had been shocked to say the least. There had never been any discussion of finding him a mate. He was too small to be considered as a partner for any full sized Jotun. “What has brought this on, Dam?”

“I have heard tell of a possible uprising in the South, and I have offered your mating in exchange for a truce with Angrboda. He is a powerful lord who holds a lot of sway in the south.”

Loki merely nodded, but it didn’t take his considerable intellect to understand the true reason. Laufey was tired of having Loki around, so he wished to banish him to a place where he could cause no trouble. Loki kept himself up to date on the attitudes of the people of Jotunheim and had heard no such thing as a possible uprising in the south, least of all from Angrboda’s territory. They were nothing but fisherman and no real threat to their king. 

Loki and several guards set off for the south the next morning, and arrived just as night was falling. They stayed just long enough to unpack Loki’s luggage and sleep until dawn before heading back to Utgard, leaving Loki alone in this strange, new place.

Over the course of the preparations for the mating ceremony, Loki got to spend quite a bit of time with Angrboda, and found him to be quite different from what he was expecting. Despite his being a lord, Loki had been expecting Angrboda to be unlearned and have no knowledge of the intricacies of Jotun politics. He was pleasantly surpassed to find that Angrboda was actually very bright. Not only that, but he practiced magic as well. After being ridiculed for his magic his entire life, Loki had been of the opinion that no respectable Jotun would ever be caught dabbling in the magical arts, especially one of Angrboda’s nature seeing as his rural dominion would not have access to the things needed for magic. It turned out there were a lot of things Loki would be surprised by in the south.

Their mating ceremony was a relatively quiet affair. It took place outside by the vast frozen lake behind Angrboda’s fortress. The entirety of the guests were commoners, those who staffed Angrboda’s house and those who lived in the village. Neither Loki’s Dam nor brothers were in attendance, but that wasn’t surprising given the circumstances.

Angrboda was not unkind. While both knew that social customs must be observed, he knew that this was a difficult time for Loki. Despite the confident aura the young prince exuded, the lord knew it would be difficult for him in such a strange place. 

The biggest surprise of all for Loki was that he found that he actually grew to care about the people of his new home, especially Angrboda. It was so different there than in Utgard. Life was slow and simple with none of the pretenses of the nobility to worry about. No one was showing open hatred for Loki for neither his small stature nor use of magic. It wasn’t so hard for him to picture spending the rest of his life there. He had even managed to secure a position of power, no matter how remote, something he would never have been able to accomplish in the capital. Laufey would never allow for his runt son to take the throne when he already had two normal sons to succeed him.

Loki wouldn’t call it love because he was sure that wasn’t what it was, but he definitely held a special fondness for Angrboda. It didn’t hurt that Angrboda was on the shorter side of the height spectrum. He wasn’t a runt by any means, but he didn’t tower over Loki either like his dam or brothers.

It was early one morning several months into his mating with Angrboda, that there was a series of knocks on their chamber door. Loki, not much for mornings, especially this early, merely rolled over, burying his head in a pillow. Angrboda got out of bed to see who it was. 

“My Lord, your presence is requested immediately. We have received news from Utgard.”

All sleep was wiped from Loki’s mind when he heard those words. “What is it? What’s happening?” he asked, urgently needing answers. Had his dam changed his mind about the mating and was calling Loki home? Most likely not. Matings were taken very seriously. Jotuns mated for life, and there was no way Laufey would disregard that. If it didn’t concern the mating then it was something else.

“I cannot say, my Lord,” the guard answered. “The messenger refuses to speak until Lord Angrboda is present.”

That was when Loki found out about the war, and Angrboda was called to collect warriors from his territory and report to Utgard immediately. Loki had wanted to come along, but Angrboda asked him to stay behind.

“This land needs a strong leader,” he had said. “I trust you, Loki.”

Over the next few months, Loki heard very little news about his mate. 

They say when a Jotun loses its mate, they can feel it, as if a piece of their soul is breaking apart from the whole. Loki didn’t need the messenger to tell him that Angrboda had fallen on Utgard’s borders, protecting his king. Loki already knew.

Loki was inconsolable in his grief. He had been so happy. He had believed he could make a new life here with his mate, but of course his father couldn’t let that happen. He knew this was Laufey’s doing. Even though he didn’t know what Laufey had done to start this war, it didn’t happen because the Aesir had decided to invade. No, Laufey had instigated this. 

Luckily, the south was spared the focus of the Aesir’s attack, so they didn’t have to worry about he destruction that plagued numerous other parts of the realm. Loki was thankful for small miracles. 

When word finally came requiring Loki’s return to Utgard, Loki was more than reluctant to go. Why would he leave a peaceful land to go to the ruins of another? Why would he willingly go back to the place where he was despised? Why would he leave his people without a leader and ignore his mate’s last request? No matter how much Loki didn’t want to return to that terrible life, he knew he had to. His dam would find a way to make him suffer if he refused.

The village was especially sad to see him go, for they had been such strong supporters of Loki. He had also been hesitant. Would they be alright without him? It didn’t matter. He had to leave or else it might be more dangerous for him to stay. There was no telling what Laufey would do.

Utgard had never been a glorious city during any part of Loki’s life, but he was pleased to see that it looked worse than usual. Countless buildings had been leveled, and while the palace was not included, it definitely sustained a fair amount of damage. 

Loki walked slowly, taking in every new scar Utgard sustained and reveling in the destruction of this hated city.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at that. An update made in a timely manner. This story may actually be completed some day.

Loki’s marriage to Thor was scheduled for exactly one month after the conclusion of the peace negotiations. He had one month to learn about Aesir culture, one month to make all the preparations, and one month to find out what a marriage actually was. It was a foreign term to him seeing as they didn’t exist on Jotunheim. It turned out that they weren’t too different from matings. The most noticeable difference being that a mated pair were connected in soul. This concept of a marriage seemed to Loki to be nothing more than a legal frivolity. It was unheard of for a mated Jotun to be unfaithful, but for a wedded Aesir, that seemed common place. 

Loki really couldn’t wrap his head around the point of it, but he decided that was the least of his problems. The date of the wedding was fast approaching, and there was still so much to learn.

Loki usually enjoyed learning, filling his head with interesting facts and new knowledge, but it was beginning to border on excessive. There was no way he could memorize every bit of culture, and there were so many things he had never heard of. The Aesir seemed to make an excuse to celebrate everything. The feast for the first harvest, the feast for a birth, the feast for a death, the feast for the beginning of summer. There was probably a feast for walking down the street without tripping. Actually, now that he thought about it, there was probably a feast for walking down the street and tripping.

It didn’t take much more for Loki to decide it would just be better to learn as he went.

 

When it was time for Loki to leave Jotunheim, four Aesir guards came for him at the ruined palace. It was there that Loki was required to wish his dam and brothers well in his absence and for Laufey to give him his official blessing for no other reason other than appearance. For all the sadness Loki felt at leaving his home realm, there was one person he wouldn’t miss.

After an hour worth of walking to the hastily reconstructed Bifrost site, Loki tried to mentally prepare himself for the trip. He could do a small amount of teleportation using his own magic, but this was on a much larger, more powerful scale. He had to admit it filled him with trepidation.

As soon as they had all assembled on the site, the senior officer called out. “Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!”

A swirl of colors rained down around them, and Loki could feel his feet leave the ground. For several seconds, he was weightless, flying through the air. Loki closed his eyes, focusing on the feeling of floating, but he opened them once again when his feet touched down. 

This time, the ground beneath his feet was completely smooth, so unlike the frozen rocks he was used to walking on. Even the floors inside Jotun buildings had been rough and uneven. There was simply no reason for them not to be. If they were made of perfectly flattened ice, it would have been unnecessarily difficult for them to walk upon.

The ground was not the only difference from what he was used to, and with the completely new and strange environment he was in, he was surprised he even noticed something so trivial at all. The large, golden, domed room he found himself it was brighter than anything they had on Jotunheim. His home was a cold, dark place with hardly any light to be found. As far as Loki’s eyes could see, the entire city, and most likely the entire realm, was awash with light. A tall, golden spire of a building was located straight ahead in the heart of the city. He could see many other buildings around it, but none of them were as big. The sound of water rushing met his ears, and Loki assumed they were located out in some sort of ocean, but why it was so loud he was unsure.

Loki was interrupted in his observations, by a regal voice. “Prince Loki, we welcome you to Asgard.”

He looked off to the side of the raised platform in the center of the room to see a small group standing together. “Thank you, Allfather,” he replied to Odin’s greeting.

“We hope that, in time, you can make Asgard your home. Now, I believe you know my son and your betrothed, Prince Thor.” Odin gestured to the tall, broad man standing to his right. In truth, Loki didn’t know Thor. He had seen him a few times during the negotiations, but seeing as Laufey had forbidden him from attending the meetings, he had not had much interaction with any of the Aesir. 

That wasn’t to say he was completely left in the dark. He had heard Thor had a nasty temper and vehemently argued against their union. It will be a joy to spend the rest of my life with him, Loki thought sarcastically. He nodded his head in agreement to Odin, not really knowing what to say.

“And this woman beside me is my queen, Frigga,” Odin continued. 

“I’m so happy you are here with us, Loki.” Frigga said, and she seemed genuine. Loki couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Loki replied.

“With the introductions out of the way, I would like to proceed to the palace,” Odin announced, turning away to lead them out of the Bifrost. 

Outside, four creatures Loki had never seen before awaited them. He stood back, wide eyed, behind the others as they mounted their own animals. He really wasn’t sure what to do even after watching them mount gracefully. He tried to step up to his own mount, but was surprised when it stomped a foot and shifted to the side unexpectedly. It really shouldn’t have scared him so much. This was nothing compared to the size of the Ice Beasts of Jotunheim. It was probably about the size of a Frost Wolf, and those were much more ferocious. 

“Have you ridden a horse before, Loki?” Frigga asked from beside him where she had ridden her horse to. 

“Nay, I have never even seen one before,” he admitted.

She laughed, but it was good natured. It was clear she didn’t mean to be rude or make fun of him. “You will be able to take lessons, but for now, why don’t you ride with Thor?” Loki was about to refuse, saying he would be fine with walking when Frigga called her son over. “Thor, let Loki ride with you.”

Loki had been expecting him to argue as well, but surprisingly, he didn’t. He dismounted and led Loki to his own steed. “Put your foot here,” he pointed to the stirrup, placing his hands on Loki’s waist and helping to push Loki up onto of the strange animal. Next, he swung up behind him. 

Loki thanked him quietly, and received nothing but a gruff noise in return as Thor reached around him to take hold of the reins. 

They rode slowly, but Loki still gripped the saddle tightly, afraid he would fall. Even with Thor’s arms on either side of him he was afraid the other prince would let him topple to the ground. The trip seemed to last much longer than it probably actually did because Loki couldn’t stop thinking about how much he wanted to be back on the ground. He was so worried he hardly took in his surroundings. Even when they got to the city gates and began to see other people, Loki hardly noticed the distrusting stares he was receiving. Not soon enough, they were in front of the palace.

Thor hastily dismounted, but was no less graceful for it. He looked like he was about to walk away when he seemed to remember that he should probably help Loki down. 

“Do you require my assistance with dismounting?” he asked.

‘Yes, I believe so.”

“Swing your leg over the back while keeping one foot in the stirrup,” he said, so Loki followed his instructions. Next, he felt Thor’s hands around his waist once again, and he was being lowered to the ground.

“There will be a grand feast tonight in honor of your arrival, Prince Loki. In the mean time, I’m sure someone will be happy to give you a tour around the palace and the grounds,” Odin said.

Before he could respond, Queen Frigga had grabbed his arm, “Follow me, Loki. I’ll be sure to give you a more cultured tour,” she winked at her husband. “You know how men can be, only concerned with their war rooms and sparring arenas,” she continued to joke. The two of them made their way up the stairs leading to the palace entrance. 

If the palace looked large on the outside, it was humongous on the inside. There were a number of different feasting halls on the first floor alone. As they moved higher and higher the hallways became more and more empty. Each hallway was lined with large, wooden doors, and Loki assumed this was where high ranking officials and important members of the court lived. Loki got to see the vast throne room located in the center of the palace. It seemed to take up the entirety of the floor it was so large. Loki was shown where he would be living temporarily until after the wedding when he and Thor would be moved into their new, shared chambers.

“I understand you are a sorcerer,” Frigga stated as they were climbing yet another flight of stairs. There were far too many in this place.

“Yes, My Queen,” Loki answered.

“Don’t worry about formalities with me, Loki. You may call me Frigga.”

Loki found himself smiling. “Very well. Yes, Frigga, I am a sorcerer.”

“I am very pleased to hear that. On this floor, we have several rooms available for those who would like to practice magic. Our library is located here as well.” 

About halfway down the hall and on the left, Frigga pulled open one of the large, wooden doors, and led Loki inside. Simply putting it, Loki had never seen so many books in one place. The whole room was large and wide open, with row after row of bookshelves all filled with endless amounts of books. 

“This is—this is amazing,” Loki stuttered out. He couldn’t think of any other way to put it. 

“Do you have nothing like this in Jotunheim?” Frigga asked. 

“No, I have never seen so many books in one place. Let alone a room actually specified for housing them. In Jotunheim, I would be lucky to find a stack of books pushed into the corner of some musty, old room filled with useless trinkets.”

“You didn’t have a library in the palace?” She asked, looking sad. “How did you learn sorcery?”

“Intellectual knowledge is not prized on Jotunheim. You prove yourself through deeds in combat, and from a young age I knew I would never be able to live that way due to my size. I spent a lot of my time exploring the palace, which was how I stumbled across these storage rooms. Nearly all the books I found were about sorcery for varying skill levels.”

“So you are self taught?” Loki nodded. “That is truly amazing. You will have to show me what you know.”

The tour continued until they were done with the palace and moved outside.

“There are a number of gardens scattered around the grounds. From what I understand you do not have the kinds of plants on Jotunheim that we have here, so I hope you find them very beautiful. I’m especially proud of my own personal garden.

Frigga hadn’t exaggerated about the plants being different than in Jotunheim. Loki had already seen the trees, which were taller than anything he had seen before coming here, but the variety alone was amazing. There were plants with flowers and plants without. They came in a variety of colors and sizes, and Loki was entranced by all of them. If it were possible, Frigga’s private gardens were even more breathtaking.

The entrance to Frigga’s garden was hidden behind some shrubs next to the outer wall of the castle. A large tree dominated the center with ring after ring of smaller plants around it. Past the tree was an ornate, multiple level fountain with water flowing over the sides and into a small pond. Two benches stood on either side. On the very far edge of the gardens were large hedges, standing at about the height of a full grown Jotun. Around the perimeter was a border of smaller trees lining the hedges that marked the boundaries of the garden. 

“This is beautiful, Frigga,” Loki breathed, unable to pull his eyes away.

“Thank you, Loki. I’ve been tending to this garden since my arrival in Asgard. Back then it was nothing more than a field of grass and weeds, but over the years I have been able to turn it into what you see before you. I have used a number of different plants from other realms, including that of my home, Vanaheim.”

“You are not of Asgard?” Loki asked, not even trying to mask his surprise.

“No, child. Like yours, my marriage was arranged. I didn’t even meet Odin until the day of our wedding, and It took time, but we grew to love each other,” she had the largest smile Loki had seen her wear yet. “I hope you and Thor can find that together.”

“I—I do too,” Loki whispered. He really did too. However unlikely it seemed, Loki really wanted his marriage to be a happy one.

Frigga took his hand gently, patting it a few times. “I know you do. I remember what it was like being in a strange place, alone and confused. If you ever want to talk, about anything at all, you can come find me.”

“Thank you, Frigga,” Loki said quietly.

“Why don’t we continue our tour?” Frigga asked much more cheerfully.

“Yes, I think that sounds like a good idea.”

Their next destination was the training grounds, and there were a lot of them. Warriors were everywhere sparring with every weapon imaginable from swords to spears to axes. Some trained in hand to hand combat, grappling on the ground. They passed an archery range where archers fired on a line of ten training dummies, each with varying amounts of success. 

The majority of it was a very familiar sight. This was one thing they actually had back on Jotunheim. Loki could remember, even from his earliest memories, watching from one of the balconies in the palace as the warriors trained together everyday, knowing he would never get a chance to join them.

But now maybe he could. The thought filled him with hope. He could no longer be denied anything because of his size. Now he was just like everyone else. He even appeared to be a little on the taller side. 

“Do only Asgard’s warriors train here?” he asked as they walked around the perimeter.

“No, these training grounds are open to anyone. The army has special, designated grounds located just outside the city,” Frigga told him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if—Oh there he is,” Loki turned his head to see who she was talking about and saw Thor with a small group of people. “Thor spends a lot of his time here.”

They stood there for several minutes watching as Thor and another blonde man sparred with swords, while their three companions watched from the sidelines. 

“Come, I have one last place to show you,” Frigga said after Thor had knocked his opponent’s sword from his hand, soundly defeating him. 

Just past the training yard was a building with a wide open field stretching out behind it. Frigga led him inside, and Loki could see that it was where they housed their horses. There were three sections, each with horses on either side, and Frigga took him to the far side.

“This is the stable where you will be coming for your riding lessons. The stable hands,” she gestured to the people, mostly boys a little younger than himself, “take very good care of the horses, and one of them will be instructing you.” They walked about halfway down the row before stopping. “This is my horse, Embla. She’s very friendly.” Frigga took hold of his wrist and placed his hand on the horse’s face. When she didn’t react negatively, Loki moved his hand from her muzzle to forehead. She pushed against his hand, making him smile. It seemed like she liked him. “Once you’ve learned how to ride, you will be given your own horse,” Frigga said from beside him.

Loki decided he would like that very much. 

Once they were finished with their tour, Frigga took him back to the palace and up to his new chambers.

“We will need to take your measurements so that your new wardrobe can be made, but for tonight’s feast I have gathered a small collection of items I believe will fit you.” When Frigga said small, she didn’t mean small. Loki was used to his loincloth, fur cloak, and very little variation. Frigga had brought him four pairs of pants, six shirts, three pairs of boots, and three capes. “I just need to know which colors you like.”

Loki decided on a pair of black trousers, knee high, black boots, a gray shirt, and a sleek, green cape, and Frigga was right. It all fit him rather well. 

“Try to get acquainted with the space,” Frigga said. “I’ll be back later to take you down to the feast.”

After she left, Loki had a look around. The entire space was sparsely decorated, but Loki supposed that was because it was a guest room. The outer room had a couch, some chairs, a table, and a hearth. The bedroom contained the bed, a wardrobe, a chest, and another table with a chair. The bathroom was located on the far side of the bedroom, and it had a bath build into the center of the floor.

Loki sat in the sitting room while he waited for Frigga to come back, but he didn’t really have anything to do. He hadn’t had anything to bring with him from Jotunheim, so the whole room seemed rather impersonal. 

It was a long and boring wait, but Frigga returned eventually, and as they were walking downstairs, Frigga briefed him on the feast. “You will only be required to stay for the first hour as is customary for guests. If you wish to return to your rooms but can’t find the way, ask any of the palace guards, and they will be able to assist you. If you wish to stay longer that’s fine too.” They had made it all the way down to the bottom floor by now. “I don’t know what you’re used to, but Asgardian feasts can get a bit… rowdy.”

Frigga hadn’t been exaggerating either. The first hour was rather tame. Odin gave a speech and there were more toasts, and if Loki thought the mead consumption was pretty high at that point he was very wrong. Once all the customs had been observed and the feast was in full swing, everyone seemed to lose control. 

The start of the feast found Loki at the High Table. Odin sat in the middle with Thor on his right and Frigga on his left, and Loki sat on Thor’s right. Conversation was rather stiff. Thor would try to speak with his father about some matter or another, which would lead to Odin trying to include Loki, which would lead to Loki feeling awkward and confused when he didn’t really know what they were talking about. Eventually this whole cycle ended when Thor excused himself from the table to go find his friends.

Even though the hour mark had long since passed, Loki felt it would be rude to leave seeing as the whole feast was in his honor. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, he was the most sober person in the room. It was actually quite amusing to watch the members of the court partake in drinking contests, and there were many situations he witnessed that would be considered embarrassing. He could see Thor laughing and conversing with the same group Loki had seen him training with earlier. The other blonde man seemed to have found some female to sit in his lap. A rotund man with a long, red beard had a plate piled high with food in front of him, and he ate from it enthusiastically. A dark haired pair, one woman and one man, sat at the end of the table. They appeared to be sharing in Loki’s amusement.

When Odin took his leave, Loki decided that would be an appropriate time to leave as well. He didn’t need to ask anyone for directions because he had actually managed to remember the way fairly easily. 

By the time he returned to his rooms, Loki was worn out. He stripped out of his clothes and climbed into bed. It should have been easy to find sleep given how tired he was, but that wasn’t the case. Regardless of how nice Asgard was and how much he was glad to be away from his dam, Loki still missed home. He missed the cold and the quiet. It took several hours for Loki to drift off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, this took me all day to write.

“I have never pictured my wedding day, but certainly it would not have been like this,” Thor mused, staring out the window overlooking the Realm Eternal. His personal servants were meant to be helping him dress in his finest ceremonial garments, but he had yet to give them the opportunity.

“Often, things don’t work out like we planned, My Lord,” one of them spoke up.

“I suppose that is true,” Thor said, turning back to the room. He had resigned himself to his fate, but that didn’t mean he had always been so accepting. 

 

As the future king of Asgard, Thor had been required to attend the peace negotiations. It wasn’t as if they interested him overly much because Thor found that the battle was far more enticing, but it had definitely been a learning experience.

The two kings spoke much on Asgard’s occupation and what would be done with respect to the rebuilding efforts, and Thor even had some input of his own, but he said absolutely nothing in the meetings regarding the marriage proposal. He knew better than to argue with his father in front of the enemy, but once they were alone, Thor spoke his mind.

“Father, how could you even consider such a ludicrous proposal?” Thor raged, slamming his fist against the wall. 

Odin remained calm, giving Thor a level stare. “I consider it because it is the best option.” He turned away from Thor, going to rifle through some of the other contracts. “There is no better way to secure an alliance than through marriage.”

“But surely you have considered this to be some plot to cause Asgard’s ruin?” Thor stepped up right behind his father. “We have the upper hand. Why give them their Casket back?”

“You foolish boy, the Jotnar are in no position to continue the fighting or else Laufey never would have called these meetings. Even with the Casket, they wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Having his father speak to him in such a way only served to anger Thor further. “You allow them too much, Father. You are blind to their intentions. They have already proven they can sneak into Asgard. They would only be more dangerous with the Casket in their possession.”

“I see clearly enough. This whole war has been about the Casket,” Odin turned to look Thor in the eye, and he knew what his father had to say would be serious. “Their realm is dying, Thor, and I have done many despicable things, but I will not allow myself to be responsible for the death of an entire race.” Odin took several steps to the large armchair and sat down. “This is bigger than just Asgard and Jotunheim. This is about the balance of all the Nine Realms.”

Thor moved to kneel beside his father. “Surely there is another way. Why must a marriage be arranged between the Jotun prince and myself?” he asked, voice more or less calm.

“It is the most suitable match,” Odin stated simply.

“But why not marry him to a noble? Why must I marry a giant nearly twice my height?”

Odin chuckled. Thor didn’t see what was so funny about the situation. “Oh, my son, the Jotun prince is no giant, but a runt. I have heard he stands roughly the height of an Aesir.”

“Be that as it may, he is still male. An heir cannot be produced between us.” Thor stood and went to sit in the other armchair. “Am I meant to take a mistress?”

“No, that will not be necessary. You see, their kind has neither males nor females, only Jotuns. Each one of them has the ability to both bare and sire children. You’ll find him to be perfectly capable of birthing an heir.”

Thor signed. He had hoped that would have been reason enough to forget this ridiculous idea. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem it would be an issue.

“There is nothing that can be done, Father? It is my fate to wed a monster?”

Odin nodded. “I hope in time you can learn to accept this and that you will have a change of heart,” Odin said, rising from his chair. He clapped Thor on the shoulder before walking to the door. “This is an honorable decision. Thor. You will have made this sacrifice for the good of the realms.” With that, Odin left the room to draw up the final marriage contract with Laufey, and Thor threw the chair across the room, watching it splinter against the wall.

 

“My Lord, we cannot put this off any longer.” Thor was pulled from his memories by the servant. “You must dress for the wedding.”

“Very well,” he said, going to stand in the center of the room where the servants worked to make him as regal as possible. His whole ensemble was white and gold. His white boots had golden accents. His white pants fit snugly, showing off his muscular legs, He wore a long sleeved, more formal, white version of his armor. The decorative metalwork was all in gold, and he had a gold cape draped over his right shoulder. It was twice as long as his usual cape, but it was meant for ceremonies such as these and not meant to be practical.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Thor could see that he looked good. Too bad it is all for a frost giant, he thought. No, he had to stop thinking like that.

 

Knock knock knock

Thor went to the door to see who who it was. He had just returned to Asgard from Jotunheim and was still stewing in his anger. Pulling open the door, he found that it was his mother. “Mother, I’m afraid I am poor company at the moment.”

“Nonesense,” she said, pushing past him to enter his chambers. “I have not seen you in months. You do have time for you mother, don’t you?”

Thor felt a pang of guilt at returning straight to his chambers. He didn’t doubt that she had worried about him while he was away. “Of course I do. I am merely in a sour mood, but perhaps your company would do me well.”

“Come,” she said, gesturing to the couch she had seated herself on. “Tell me what has got you so down, and we will remedy it.”

Thor remained standing. “I’m afraid there is nothing to be done about it. Father has sold my hand in marriage to a frost giant. I will be wed within the month.” When his mother said nothing, Thor continued. “You do not appear surprised.”

“I’m not. It makes sense that this would be the solution.”

“So you agree with Father’s decision?” Thor asked.

“It is not easy being King. Sometimes he has to make tough choices, but I trust his judgment, and I think you should too.”

“But they have been our enemies for a millennia,” Thor tried to argue. “Surely this marriage will solve nothing between our realms.”

“Thor, you need to remain calm,” she said, cutting him off when he tried to speak. “Please, sit down.” Thor sat, effectively feeling like a scolded child. “If it is as you say, then there is no stopping it, and you will soon be wed to a Jotun, but why do you believe this to be something terrible?”

Thor was speechless. “Must you ask, Mother? The frost giants are a monstrous, uncivilized race.”

“I want you to stop right there, Thor. The Jotuns are no monsters, and if you continue to think that way, there will be no salvation for you in your marriage. You must learn to see your future spouse and his race as people, or it won’t only be your marriage that suffers. The entirety of Asgard will as well, and this arrangement will be all for nothing.”

“You can’t possibly think this marriage has any chance of being successful, can you?” Thor exclaimed.

“Then tell me why it is doomed to fail,” his mother challenged.

“Well, we, uh, we’ve never even met,” Thor said lamely.

Frigga merely raised one brow, clearly unimpressed.

Thor felt rather foolish for having no other reason. “How can I be happy in a marriage with someone I don’t know. Even if he were Aesir, I would have the same complaint.”

Frigga grasped his hand between both of her own. “Thor, you do remember that my marriage to your father was arranged, correct?” He nodded. “He and I had never met, but we fell in love. Not right away, I’ll grant you, but we did, and I could never imagine being with anyone else.”

“But there are no physical differences between the Aesir and Vanir. I fear the Jotnar are just too different.”

“Thor, I want you to look at me,” she said, turning his head to face her. “You only view the Jotnar as monsters because you were raised in a time of hostility. You have only known the hatred that has existed between the two realms. Growing up, I was exposed to the lingering influence of the war between the Aesir and Vanir, and believe me, no matter how similar someone looks, they can always be painted monsters. My people held no ill feelings for the Jotnar. They were simply blue giants, and that wasn’t something to be hated.

“You have been taught that blue skin is the skin of the enemy, but you can relearn. You can help us all relearn if you only give them a chance. Treat this Jotun not with disdain but with respect. Do not allow misconceptions to cloud your judgment. Give yourself the opportunity to bring a lasting peace between our realms.”

 

Thor didn’t know where all the time had gone. It seemed like only yesterday he was fighting the frost giants on Jotunheim. Now, he was standing on the steps of the crowded throne room about to be married.

 

Loki watched as Frigga flitted about the room, talking with each of the servants, making sure everything was going smoothly. Loki was supposed to be in the process of getting dressed in his ceremonial garb, but he currently stood in the center of the room in his regular loincloth. He had already been bathed and his hair washed, and it was in the process of drying. 

Finally, the servants carried over what looked to be a roughly triangular, white skirt, which Loki knew to be a traditional Jotun mating cloth. Loki had chosen to be wed in ceremonial mating dress since it would be the most fitting attire for the occasion, as well as the most comfortable option. He hadn’t quite gotten used to Asgardian trousers yet.

He watched as a servant untied the cloth he wore, so they could replaced it with the other one. One servant held it out so that he could step into it before pulling it up over his hips. It fit him so that it was wrapped entirely around his waist before leaving the majority of his right thigh bare. His left thigh was entirely covered down to below his knee. Next, the Frost Wolf fur cloak was draped over his left shoulder and fastened across his chest. It hung down to just below his rear. 

With his clothes in place, the servants began to adorn him with jewelry. Rubies were woven into his hair to bring out the color of his eyes, and several gold anklets were put on each foot. He had a number of bracelets placed on his arms, including a thick cuff put on his right bicep. 

Loki was rather pleased with his appearance.

He could see Frigga come to stand behind him from over his shoulder. “Loki, it is time,” she said.

He nodded in understanding. “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

Frigga took hold of his right arm, and they left the room together.

“There will be many in attendance,” she told him. “But don’t let it worry you.”

“I won’t,” he replied. “Is my dam here?” he asked almost as an afterthought.

“Yes, he arrived earlier today, and he should already be seated.”

Of course he was here, but it wasn’t because he felt any obligation to be present at Loki’s wedding. He probably thought the whole thing was more absurd than Loki did. No, he was just waiting to be given the Casket. Then, he would have nothing tying him to Asgard, and if Loki was lucky, they would never have to see each other again.

Frigga, with one last reassuring squeeze to his hand, left him at the doors to the throne room before going around to the back entrance to take her place in the front of the audience.

Loki held his breath, and it seemed all too soon that the doors were opening. Loki steeled himself to take the first step, and after that it became easier to walk through the crowd. The room was completely packed with spectators, but it was easy enough to spot his dam in the front. It would be difficult for Loki to ignore him right there, but at least he wouldn’t be in Loki’s line of sight.

Once he was at the foot of the stairs, Loki began to take one at a time until he was level with Thor. Loki wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but the Asgardian looked nice. He seemed more civil and not as much of a brute.

Once Loki was in place, the ceremony started with Odin presiding over it from the top of the stairs.

“Welcome all,” his commanding voice boomed throughout the throne room. Any noise had been silenced with those two words. “Let all bare witness to the union of not only two people but two realms. Let the marriage of Prince Thor Odinson of Asgard and Prince Loki Laufeyson of Jotunheim solidify the peace between Asgard and Jotunheim.” He let his words linger before continuing. “For too long, war has plagued our realms and filled our history with unnecessary violence. That ends today! Today, we will guide the Nine Realms into an era of peace.”

At the conclusion of his speech, Odin descended the stairs until he was on the step above the couple. 

“Face each other, and clasp your right hands together.”

Loki did, extending his hand towards Thor. He could see that the other prince was hesitant, but he did as well. Once they were holding hands, Odin showed a single, long ribbon to the crowd. “With this ribbon, I shall bind these two together for eternity.” The ribbon was wound intricately around their forearms and hands, effectively prohibiting them from letting go of each other.

“Kneel,” Odin commanded, and they did. “With the conclusion of the binding before these witnesses and the roots and branches of Yggdrasil itself, I proclaim thee to be wed. Rise, Prince Thor Odinson of Asgard and Prince Loki Odinson of Asgard.”

The end of the ceremony, the untying of their wrists, and the walk to the feasting hall was all a blur to Loki, and before he knew it, he was once again seated at the High Table. The feast didn’t go by quite as fast, and Loki both wanted it over with and never wanted it to end. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the next part. 

It seemed as if everyone in attendance was approaching the table to congratulate them, but Loki wasn’t at all surprised to see that his dam was not one of them. He’d probably already left Asgard with the Casket. Eventually, the line of well wishers ended, and everyone took their seats.

Odin made the first toast. “To my son and his husband: I wish you a long, prosperous marriage.”

Frigga was next. “To both of you: I hope that you recognize your similarities and find strength in your differences.”

There were many more toasts to follow, each with varying levels of sincerity, and after that, the food was brought out. Loki nibbled slowly on the various dishes presented to him, trying to decide what he liked, but he didn’t even know what any of it was.

“Excuse me,” he said quietly, hoping to get Thor’s attention. His husband seemed to be eating his food with much more enthusiasm. 

“Yes?” Thor asked.

“I’m sorry to disturb your meal, but what are each of these dishes?” Loki asked, kind of embarrassed that he even had to ask.

“This is roast boar,” he replied, pointing to the plate holding a large portion of meat. He continued down the line until he got to the very last plate. “And these are apples.”

“Oh, thank you, Husband,” Loki said, turning back to the food. He grabbed an apple, deciding that he liked the sweetness of it.

“Do you have none of these foods in Jotunheim?” Thor asked.

Swallowing the bite of apple first, Loki answered. “No, Jotunheim is not a realm of abundance. We a fairly large selection of fish, but that is where most of out food comes from. We also hunt a large, grazing animal, and harvest seven types of berries. That makes up the majority of our food, although there are a few other things we can eat as well.”

“Do you not tire of it?”

“I have spent my entire life eating only enough to survive. Besides, all food on Jotunheim is practically tasteless, or I have become so accustomed to it that I can sense no taste.”

The rest of the feast passed in a similar fashion. Thor and Loki sat in silence until one of them would introduce some idle small talk. It was a much more successful feast than the first one in Loki’s opinion.

Instead of being given the option to leave whenever they wanted, Loki and Thor were ushered out of the room to the sound of various types of cheers that Loki didn’t want to think too hard about. They were shown to their knew shared chambers, which were larger than the guest room Loki had been staying in. This one even had two extra studies. 

All too soon, Loki and Thor were left alone in their chambers. They both spent the first few minutes inspecting the area, each trying their best to ignore the other, but eventually it was unavoidable.

“Shall we retire?” Thor asked him.

“Yes, I believe we shall.” They moved into the bedroom, each going to stand on opposite sides of the bed. Loki could tell Thor was uncomfortable. He looked rather fidgety. “Husband, what do your customs dictate we do?”

“Uh, according to Asgardian tradition, we are required to consummate our marriage.” Loki nodded in understanding. It was the same way on Jotunheim. Loki began undressing. Starting with the cloak, he unfastened the clasp and slid the fur from his shoulders.

“W—what are you doing?” Thor asked, seemingly in shock. His eyes were wide when Loki met them.

“I’m disrobing, and I suggest you do the same.”

“Are you sure? We don’t have to do this now. We can wait longer of you like.”

“I am sure. Besides, these are your traditions. Are you so willing to break from them?”

Thor shook his head and began to disrobe as well.

Once they were both naked, they stared awkwardly at each other from across the bed before Loki decided to make the first move. He climbed onto the bed and laid back, head resting on a pillow. He looked sideways at his husband. “You do know what to do, correct?”

 

Thor had to bite down on a surge of anger. Of course he did. He was no virgin. He also climbed onto the bed and settled between the Jotun’s legs when he widened them. He had been afraid he would have a hard time becoming aroused in this situation, but it wasn’t so hard once he noticed the slit behind Loki’s cock. Knowing that his husband had a cunt made it easier for Thor to imagine he was with a woman. 

Fisting his cock, Thor kept his eyes trained on the little opening. He even managed to make himself slide a finger inside. Expecting it to be cold like Loki’s hand had been during the ceremony, Thor was surprised that he was actually warm inside. Closing his eyes tight, Thor moved his finger in and out as he pumped himself. He was pleased when he began to feel wetness seeping out of the cunt and proceeded to add a second finger.

Once he was fully hard, Thor removed his fingers and shifted forward, lining himself up with the entrance. He pressed in slowly because while he wasn’t exactly thrilled with having to lay with a Jotun, he wasn’t an animal who wished to intentionally cause his husband harm.

He heard Loki release a loud breath once he had pushed all the way in, and he waited for the other to adjust before moving. Thor pulled back and thrust back in once, experimenting with the feel. It was no different than any other cunt he’d fucked, so Thor found it easy to get into a rhythm. If he closed his eyes he could almost pretend he was somewhere else, not having the most awkward fuck of his life.

Thor concentrated on pounding in and out, focusing on bringing himself to completion as fast as he could so as not to drag this on unnecessarily. Thankfully, his orgasm washed over him soon enough, and he released deep inside Loki. 

He rolled off to the side not soon after before he realized Loki’s hand was working furiously between his own legs. Thor tried to reach over to help but was slapped away with a breathy “I’ll do it.” He couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. For all of his reservations and mistrust about this marriage, he never wanted to be a selfish lover.

Loki finished himself off quickly enough and laid back, panting harshly. They laid there in relative silence until a thought struck Thor. “Will you become pregnant?’

“It is not impossible but very unlikely,” Loki answered.

“Okay,” Thor nodded. It was probably for the best that they not bring a child too soon into their loveless marriage. They needed some time to learn to live with each other first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this chapter more interesting or still boring?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took a bit longer than the others. I was a little busy getting a 50% on an exam in a class I have no reason to be taking, so there's that. The next update will probably take longer because I do all my writing on the weekend, but since my birthday is on Wednesday, I'm going to be celebrating on Friday, and then I plan on competing in a bowling tournament on Saturday and Sunday, so I'm not sure when I'll have time to write.

Loki woke the next morning to an empty bed. His new husband was nowhere to be found in the entirety of their chambers, and Loki breathed a sigh of relief. The previous night’s event had been awkward to say the least, but Loki believed it had been necessary. On Jotunheim, Loki had been required to physically mate with Angrboda after the ceremony. It was an important part of the process, and the connection between two Jotuns could not be completed without it. Here on Asgard, it didn’t seem to have the same meaning or significance, but it was tradition none the less. Asgard, as much as Jotunheim, was clearly a realm of tradition, and it would not be proper for either him or Thor to neglect their duties. As it seemed that Thor had not been too keen to initiate the exchange—if Loki could call it that—Loki had been forced to take action. If it had not happened last night, it would need to happen later, but in the forceable future, neither of them would be comfortable enough to bring it up. The wedding night had been the perfect excuse. 

None of that changed the fact that it had been a terrible experience. Loki rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling just as he had during their coupling. It had been too much to actually look at Thor while he was mounted, especially when it was so painfully obvious that Thor was trying his best to ignore Loki. 

There was a pain in Loki’s chest when he thought about it. His husband had been repulsed by him, disgusted with having to bed a monster like Loki. Tears sprung to his eyes. His hope for a happy marriage was quickly dwindling with every passing hour. 

Loki laid in bed for another few minutes before he shoved himself up. How dare he lay around like a heart broken maiden, drowning in self pity? He had more important things to worry about than his relationship with his husband. When Thor wasn’t around, there was no reason for Loki to dwell on it.

Loki went to his wardrobe to select clothes for the day. All the new pieces Frigga had had him measured for had been moved into his new rooms the day before. He browsed through them, trying to decide what would be appropriate for the weather. To Loki, it was the equivalent of sweltering outside, but all the clothes he had to choose from would cover him too much. Loki finally made up his mind, selecting the lightest weight tunic he could find and the thinnest pair of trousers. There was nothing he could do about the boots, however. They all seemed to be made of the same, thick leather. 

Once dressed, Loki decided it was as good a time as ever to find something to eat. He wondered if he would be able to obtain more apples.

The halls were relatively empty seeing as it was still fairly early, and the majority of the palace’s denizens were most likely recovering from the long night of feasting. Nevertheless, Loki did pass several people on the way to the breakfast hall. The majority of them stared at him as he hurried past, and Loki found that he didn’t like their gazes. He tried to avoid them if he could help it. Other people who were in groups spoke to each other in hushed voices, but Loki was able to make out some of their words. Loki cringed internally as he heard things like beast, and monster, and frost giant. That last one in particular was enough to set his blood boiling. Frost giant was an incredibly derogatory term for his kind. Loki had rarely ever heard it spoken before, but he knew it was widely used in other realms.

Loki ducked his head as he began to walk faster. The sooner he arrived at his destination, the better.

In the breakfast hall, Loki saw Odin Allfather and Frigga sitting at the High Table, which was a huge relief. 

Frigga smiled widely and stood to great him. “Loki, how are you this morning?”

“I am well, thank you, Frigga,” he nodded his head.

She must have sensed his unease because she gave him a soft, understanding look. “Come, you must eat.” Loki sat beside her, away from his usual spot seeing as there was no reason for him to sit on his own on the other end of the table. “Tell me honestly, Loki. How are you?” she asked him quietly.

Loki thought for a second. “I am a little sore,” he whispered, feeling his cheeks heat up. It wasn’t because of his husband’s size. He had mated a Jotun after all. It was just that it had been a while since he had been bedded by anyone.

“That is understandable,” she winked at him. Loki didn’t know weather he should be scandalized or not. “Honestly, Loki. I merely jest,” she responded to his expression. “Besides, it shouldn’t surprise you that I know of such things.

Loki did all that he could not to choke on his own saliva, and Frigga patted his back firmly. “Perhaps we should speak on something else,” he prompted.

“Fine, fine, ruin my fun,” she laughed. “Do you have any plans for today?”

“I thought, perhaps, I could visit the library. I am eager to peruse your collection.”

“That is an excellent idea. I actually took the liberty of leaving a few recommendations for you with Gudrun, the head librarian,” Frigga said, putting another pastry on her plate. Loki had forgotten about the food, but now that he had been reminded, he reached forward to fill his plate. He was happy to see that there were apples set out, and Loki took two. “Do you like apples?” Frigga asked.

“Yes, I had never even seen them before last night, but I love them.”

“Would you like to try other kinds of fruit?”

Loki’s eyes lit up. “There are more foods like this?”

“Not exactly, but they would be sweet like an apple. Should I ask the servants?”

Loki nodded without even thinking, and Frigga leaned back to call to the servant behind her.

“Yes, my Queen,” the girl spoke.

“Would you be kind enough to fetch Prince Loki and me a variety of fruit?”

“Of course, your Highness,” the girl curtsied. She glanced at Loki quickly before leaving.

Loki picked up one of the apples and took a bite. He was in the middle of chewing when Frigga spoke. “I remember when people would look at me like that.”

Startled, Loki turned to face her. “They did?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “I couldn’t go anywhere without feeling the weight of their stares on my back. They were none too subtle about it.” She reached out to rub his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You are just a novelty right now. It will ware off.”

Loki wasn’t so sure it was that simple, but he nodded regardless. 

The servant returned shortly afterwards with a bowl of variously colored foods. 

“Here you go, Loki,” Frigga said, putting some of the new selections on his plate. “We have strawberries, raspberries, orange slices, and kiwi,” she said, pointing to each fruit as she named them.

Loki picked up one at a time, taking a bite. They were all so delicious and sweet. He savored each and every bite until it was all gone.

“What do you think?” she asked him.

“They’re all really good. I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite.”

After breakfast, Loki and Frigga went their separate ways. Frigga joked with him some more, saying she had “womanly duties” to attend to. He was convinced that she actually had very important things to do. Loki found his way to the library with little trouble. There appeared to be no one inside, but he supposed Gudrun had to be somewhere inside. He walked up and down the rows before he saw a short woman with graying hair and a pointed nose. 

“Gudrun?” he asked, walking over to where she was busy shelving books.

She turned, raising an eyebrow. “Can I help you? Oh, Prince Loki,” she said, realizing who it was. “I suppose you wish to inquire as to the books Queen Frigga picked out for you.”

“Yes, she informed me that you would be able to give them to me.”

“Follow me,” she said, striding away. She was surprisingly fast for someone of her height and age.

He followed until she disappeared behind a door. Loki decided it would probably be best if he remained outside. When she returned, she had an armful of tomes of various sizes. “Here you go,” she said, handing them to Loki.

He looked at the cover of the one on top, but it was blank. “What are they about?” he asked.

“There are several about Aesir magic, one about Vanir magic, and one about Jotnar magic,” Gudrun told him. “They are far from the only books we have on the subject, but the queen believed these would be a good starting place for you.”

Loki thanked her for her help and went to find a place to sit. Spreading the books out on a table in front of him, Loki looked for the one on Jotnar magic. The books were split roughly in half on either having a title or not having one, but the Jotnar book luckily did have a title on the cover. Loki pulled it into his lap and flipped it open. The pages were crisp, and it was obvious that no one had read it in a while. 

Loki’s eyes scanned the first page and saw that it was written almost entirely in Jotun. There were a few passages here and there in Asgardian, which Loki tried to read. When he was younger, he had been taught to read Asgardian, Although he could speak it fluently, he hadn’t read it in a while, but luckily, the Asgardian alphabet and the Jotun alphabet were very similar, so he was able to read it with very few problems. 

Once Loki began reading the text, it was easy to tell that this book was written before the war with Asgard started.

The most practical and common application of magic on Jotunheim is in religious ceremonies. Ulfreig, the religious center of Jotunheim and home to the realm’s most powerful priests, is a center for the annual Rebirth Ceremony. Jotnar often make pilgrimage to Ulfreig to participate in the traditional dances and spell casting led by the priests.

Ulfreig had been completely destroyed by the Aesir before Loki had been born, and with Jotunheim’s lack of money and resources, they had not been able to rebuild it. The majority of Jotunheim’s sorcerers had been killed as well due to their being viewed as a threat by the Aesir. The few that had survived fled to the most remote corners of the realm where they died over the course of the next few centuries. There had not been a Sorcerer Priest of Jotunheim for a very long time.

Since magic was a costly, impractical practice in postwar Jotunheim, sorcerers were no longer trained. If they had been, Loki surely would have been sent away from Utgard to learn in his youth. Instead, anything pertaining to magic had been locked away or destroyed. In the millennium since the war’s end, fewer and fewer Jotun children had been born with the ability to wield magic. Those that did possess it went untrained and were strongly discouraged from using it.

Loki continued reading until it became too hot, and he was sweating profusely. He decided he would ask if he could take a few of the books with him.

“I usually wouldn’t permit it, but I’ll make an exception for you,” Gudrun told him.

“Thank you,” Loki said, smiling.

The walk back to his chambers was a lot like the walk to breakfast. Everyone he passed seemed to stare or whisper behind cupped hands.

“I can’t believe the Allfather allowed a frost giant into our royal family,” a woman spat.

“Look at it try to dress like us,” one man said. “It should go back to those loincloths like the animal it is.”

“Prince Loki?,” someone laughed, eyeing the books he clutched tightly to his chest. “No man would waste his time on such things as books.”

When he finally made it back to his chambers, firmly closing the door behind him. They were still empty with no sign of Thor, so Loki went to take a seat by the window where a nice breeze was blowing into the room. It cooled him down slightly, but it still wasn’t good enough, so Loki decided he would remove his tunic. Since he was used to being shirtless, this felt nice and normal. 

Loki sat by the window for several hours, reading through page after page and learning more in this short amount of time than he had from the few books he had been able to get his hands on back home. Although it wasn’t so much a spell book as it was a history of Jotun magic, Loki still found it very informative and interesting, and he found himself mourning the days past when magic was an important part of Jotnar life.

Loki had become so engrossed in the book that he completely lost track of time until there was a knock on the door which caught his attention. He closed the book and went to the door to open it.

“Yes?” he asked the servant standing in the hall.

“The Allfather requests your presence at the evening meal which is to begin promptly upon your arrival to the dining hall.”

“Thank you. Tell the Allfather that I will be there shortly.”

The servant bowed and turned to leave as Loki shut the door. He had completely forgotten about the evening meal, and now he would be late. As if the people of Asgard needed another reason to hate him.

Loki quickly went to his wardrobe to pull out a nicer tunic than the one had had been wearing earlier. After pulling it over his head, he made sure the rest of him looked presentable and left his chambers. It took him only a matter of minutes to get there seeing as he was walking especially quickly, and he slipped in one of the side entrances so that he wouldn’t have to walk down the middle of the room and allow everyone even more of an opportunity to stare at him.

Before taking his seat, Loki spoke “Forgive me, Allfather, for my tardiness. I lost track of time.”

“All is well, Loki,” he said before saying to the entire room. “Let the meal commence!”

Loki tried to keep his eyes on the table in front of him, so that he wouldn’t have to look out into the room, but it was all for not. He still found himself gazing out across the individual tables. Luckily, the people seemed to be more interested in eating than in him.

This should have been a relief, but it was only replaced by the feeling of discomfort radiating off the person next to him. Thor was clearly doing his best to ignore Loki, but it didn’t seem he was succeeding. Loki watched as he stuffed his face full of food and tried to look away from Loki’s direction. He even had his body angled slightly away. 

It was too good of an opportunity for Loki to pass up. “How has your day been, Husband?” he asked.

Thor visibly choked on his food, and Loki smirked internally. After he managed to recover, Thor responded. “Fine.”

 

“What did you do?”

Thor wished Loki would just leave him in peace to eat his food, but obviously the Norns were having fun at his expense. “I sparred with my friends for the majority of the day.”

“Really? All day? That must have been terribly exhausting.”

In truth, it hadn’t been difficult. Thor had needed to blow off some steam after the previous night. He had been beyond angry and had battled opponent after opponent all morning before none wished to challenge him for fear of injury. After he had run out of opponents, Thor had proceeded to the practice dummies. They faired even worse than the Aesir. In his rage, Thor had decimated every dummy, decapitating and in other ways mutilating each one.

“It was no small feat, I assure you,” Thor decided to say instead.

After finishing his meal, Thor stood from the table to quickly excuse himself.

“Father, Mother, good evening. I will see you tomorrow.”

Odin merely nodded and waved him off, and Frigga said, “Good night, Thor.”

Thor strode down the center aisle and out the doors, and with Loki still in the dining hall, Thor finally had a chance to go back to their rooms. First, he went into the bathroom to wash himself after a long day of sparring. He was seemingly caked in dirt and grime, and his mother had given him a very disappointed look when he arrived at dinner in such a state.

Thor stripped down to nothing as he ran a bath for himself before settling into the tub. He sat back and let his muscles relax as the tenseness left him. After lounging for several minutes, Thor grabbed a bar of soap and a cloth and proceeded to completely cleanse himself. He started with his arms and shoulders where most of the dirt was because he had been fighting shirtless. Next he moved down his chest to his legs. Once he deemed himself clean enough, he dipped his head under the water and preceded to wash his hair.

When Thor stepped out of the bath after he was done, he grabbed a towel and did his best to dry his hair so that it was only damp. After toweling off his hair, Thor dried the rest of his body and walked out of the bathroom completely naked having discarded the towel. He browsed through his wardrobe, picking out the plainest tunic and trousers he could find and putting them on. Thor left the room once he was dressed and had pulled on his boots.

He headed out to the front of the palace where his friends were waiting for him.

“Thor!” Volstagg greeted him enthusiastically. “I hope you are fairing better this evening.”

“Aye, my friend,” Thor replied. Truthfully, the bath had helped calm him immensely. “Where to tonight?”

“I was thinking that tavern down by the water,” Fandral spoke up. “I recall their serving wenches being particularly pleasing to the eye.”

“Oh, please, Fandral. Anyone looks attractive to you once you’ve had a few drinks,” Sif laughed.

“Sif! I am offended that you think I become so easily drunk.”

“My friend, she is right,” Volstagg slung an arm around his shoulders. “You like to think you can hold your liquor, but you would be sorely mistaken.”

“I will prove you all wrong!” Fandral announced. “This is all ridiculous speculation, and I challenge Volstagg and the Lady Sif to a drinking contest!”

“Fandral, perhaps you should wait until we have actually gotten to the tavern,” Thor reminded his friend. “You may think differently once you have your eyes set on a comely maiden.”

“Have you no faith in me, Thor?” Fandral asked, feigning a hurt expression. “If that be the case, I challenge you as well.”

“If you are certain, but what the others have said is true. You really have no chance against us.”

Once the five of them were at the tavern, they took their seats at a table in the corner of the room, and mugs of mead were set in front of them. They were about to start their competition when Fandral spoke up. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? It’s not too late to back out.”

“What’s the matter Fandral? Don’t think you’re really that capable of holding your drink?” Sif asked.

“No! Of course not. I just wouldn’t want to see the three of you embarrass yourselves. That’s all.”

“I thought you fancied yourself a warrior, Fandral. Why the sudden cold feet?” Thor asked.

“What are you talking about? I’m not afraid,” Fandral slammed his hand on the table. “Let’s do this.”

The competition went exactly how everyone but Fandral thought it would go, with Fandral having to give in well before any of the others would have, but they decided to end it after Fandral had given up.

With Fandral passed out on the table, the others continued with their night. Each of them were in a different state of inebriation, and Thor was at that point where his tongue was feeling pretty loose.

“So, Thor, tell us of this frost giant of yours,” Volstagg said, patting him on the back.

Thor visibly grimaced. “I find him as repulsive as any other of his kind.”

“Does he truly have both a cock and a cunt?”

Thor nooded. “Aye, he—if you can even call him that—possesses both.”

“How was your wedding night?” Volstagg asked. “Did you rut with him?”

Thor took a huge swig of mead before answering. “We did rut,” he said simply.

“And?” the other man prompted. “I have heard they can be true animals in bed.”

“To be honest, I mounted him and that was that. It was the most horrible thing I have ever had to do,” Thor admitted. 

“Let us put that behind us, Thor,” Volstagg said and then gestured to the room. “You can have your pick of any maiden here.”

Thor had to admit it was tempting. To just be able to lay with another and forget about Loki for a night. To get away from their cold marriage bed. Thor was so close to giving in and going to any of the number of women who had been giving him longing looks all night, but his mother’s words rang in his head: Treat Loki with respect.

It would not be proper to be seen taking another to bed, and it would bring great shame to his husband. Not to mention, any missteps tonight could be enough to reignite the war if word were to reach Laufey, and the frost giant King viewed it as a person attack.

“I believe I have had enough for tonight, Volstagg,” Thor said, standing from his chair. “I will see you lot tomorrow.”

Thor left the tavern, but he was not nearly drunk enough to face being in the same room as Loki, so he walked a few streets over to another tavern. He proceeded to drink mug after mug of potent mead, and soon enough, he was sufficiently drunk, slurring his words and stumbling when he tried to stand. He waved off those that tried to help him before making his way out into the street with great difficulty. In this state, it was even more tempting to forget returning to the palace so that he could find sleep elsewhere, but he went back anyway.

It took him quite a while to get to the palace and all the way up the stairs, but eventually, he was pushing open the doors to his chambers. He stumbled through the sitting room, running into a chair on his way to the bedroom. Once inside, he hastily stripped off all this clothes, throwing them onto a chair before climbing into bed. 

He could see that Loki was already asleep. The lower half of his body was hidden beneath the sheets, but his top half uncovered and he was shirtless. Thor was struck with the strangest urge. He felt like reaching out to touch his husbands chest and just run his fingers across the bare skin, and his hand was in the process of reaching out when he snatched it back.

Certainly it was the alcohol that made Loki look—desirable? No, that wasn’t right. Appealing, perhaps at the very least. Thor stared long and hard at his slumbering husband before rolling over and flopping onto his stomach. He drifted off to sleep shortly after.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for a really fucking stupid reason my team couldn't go to the tournament this weekend, but at least I got to write this chapter.

The next few days went much the same way. Loki would wake up and find that Thor was already gone. He would eat breakfast with Frigga. After breakfast, he would go to the library. He quickly learned that the best way to save himself from the stares and whispers was to stay in the library instead of going back to his chambers. By the time he needed to go to the evening meal, the halls would be nearly empty seeing as Loki waited until the very last minute to go to the dining hall. At dinner, Loki would attempt to have awkward, stinted conversations with his husband, and Thor would eat as quickly as possible before excusing himself. Dinner was usually the only time Loki saw his husband during the day because Thor would come back to their chambers after Loki went to sleep and would leave before he woke up.

Regardless of how much Loki tried to hide himself away in the library, he couldn’t completely avoid the gossip of the court. For some reason, they seemed to be getting worse. Loki would hear increasingly vicious things on his way to breakfast every morning. 

People seemed to be obsessed with speculating about him in the bedroom. Loki heard so many things about how he must be as cold in bed as the air of Jotunheim or that he wasn’t worthy of bearing Thor’s heir. It went on and on, and each day it seemed to only get worse. 

It got so bad that Loki couldn’t stand to hear it anymore. One day, he woke up and decided he wasn’t leaving his chambers. He summoned a servant and ordered that his food be brought to his chambers, and he ate alone. For the rest of the day, he spent his time bathing in cold water to cool himself down and reading from one of the tomes he had borrowed from the library. When dinner came around, he sent a servant to the dining hall to inform the Allfather that he would not be joining them and requested that his meal be brought to his room.

Once Loki had finished his plate of pork and various berries, he settled onto the settee by the open window to continue his reading. He hadn’t bothered with putting on a tunic and had been shirtless all day. Even in the evening, Asgard’s weather was too hot for him. 

He was startled from his reading when the door opened unexpectedly. Loki’s head shot up, eyes wide, to see that his husband, who was standing in the doorway, had a similar expression.

“I-I’m sorry,” Thor stuttered, trying his best to look anywhere but at Loki. “I did not know that you were in here.”

Loki, just remembering that he was shirtless which was not as commonplace for the Aesir as it was for the Jotnar, quickly recovered from his surprise. “Yes, well these are my chambers as well.”

“Of course,” Thor still seemed unsure of what to do. “What, um, what are you doing?”

Loki looked from Thor to the tome in his lap and back to Thor. “I am reading.”

“Oh, yes, I see,” Thor said, still standing awkwardly in the doorway. He was shifting from foot to foot.

“You are allowed to come in, Husband.”

“Right!” Thor said a little too loudly and with too much enthusiasm. “I was just about to, actually.”

Loki highly doubted that. “Did you need anything?” he asked.

“No, well, yes. I was just coming to change my clothes. The Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and I are going out for a night at the tavern,” Thor said.

“Would you like to bathe before you leave? I could run a bath for you.” That was something Asgardians did for their spouses, wasn’t it? Loki still wasn’t quite sure what was expected of him yet.

Even from across the room, Loki could see Thor’s cheeks turning red. That was an interesting reaction. “That will not be necessary. I will see to it myself.” Thor seemed to take that as the end of the conversation and hurried into their bedroom, closing the door firmly behind him.

Loki tried to get back into his reading, but it was a little distraction finally being in more or less the same room as Thor and away from the eyes of the realm. Instead, he found himself listening for sounds of Thor moving around in their bedroom. He heard the light splashing of water as he lowered himself into the tub and proceeded to wash himself. Then he heard it again as he stepped out of it. There was shuffling coming from a little closer to the door which must have been Thor going through his wardrobe, searching for a suitable outfit.

Loki tried to make it look like he was busy reading when Thor entered the sitting room, but his husband caught him staring before he could look down. 

“What?” Thor asked.

“Nothing,” Loki tried to lie. 

Thor didn’t seem to believe him. “Is it my clothes? Do they look alright?”

“Oh, yes,” Loki latched onto the excuse. “They look fine.” More than fine, if Loki was being completely honest. Thor had selected a light blue tunic that brought out the color of his eyes. The material stretched over the bulging muscles of his arms and pectorals, and just like every pair of trousers Thor owned, these showed off his thighs nicely. Loki tried not to think about how the shirt probably matched his skin. Thor had definitely not been thinking about that when he picked it out anyway.

“Alright then, I shall take my leave. Good evening, Husband,” Thor said, giving Loki a stiff bow. Before Loki could return the sentiment, Thor was already turning and striding out of the room.

 

Thor heaved a sigh of relief once he was away from his husband, but the distance between them did nothing to help him relax. He hadn’t been expecting to find Loki in their chambers since they were always empty when Thor returned after dinner. When Loki didn’t show up at the evening meal, Thor had assumed he would be in the library, He had heard that his husband enjoyed to spend his time reading and was often seen walking the halls with books in hand. 

What had Loki meant when he asked if Thor wished for him to run him a bath? His treacherous cheeks had burned hot at the suggestion. Since that moment, Thor had the distinct feeling that he should be anywhere but those chambers, but he couldn’t leave without doing what he came for. 

Thor had bathed hastily. Unlike nights passed, he had been uneasy about allowing himself too much time and been eager to bathe and dress. Besides, he didn’t want to keep his friends waiting too long. And what had that look been about? Loki had been watching the doorway intently when Thor entered the sitting room. It was like Loki had been waiting for him. 

Thor was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of his mother’s voice. 

“Thor?”

“Yes, Mother?” he smiled, trying to mask his confusing and utter bafflement at his interaction with his husband. 

“Were you in your chambers just now?” she asked him.

“Yes, I just left them not moments ago.” Thor was beginning to feel nervous. Did his mother know about what had happened? No, that was ridiculous.

“Was Loki in there, by any chance?”

Thor breathed a sigh of relief. So she didn’t know what was going on between them. “Yes, he is in the sitting room reading.”

“Oh, good,” she smiled. “Do you know if he has had anything to eat tonight?”

“No, Mother, I do not.”

Frigga frowned before ushering him into a private alcove. “Is everything alright, Thor?” 

He tried to act normal. “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

She clearly didn’t believe him. “You are newly married to someone you’ve never met. It’s perfectly fine for things to be—difficult.”

“As I said, Mother, things are fine.” Thor really wanted this conversation to be over so that he could move on, but his mother would not make it easy on him.

“So you and Loki are getting along?” she inquired.

“Uh, as well as can be expected.”

“As well as can be expected,” she deadpanned. “Is that why you didn’t ask him if he’d eaten? Do you not care about his well being?” When Thor remained silent, she went on. “He may not let it show, but he’s having a difficult time here, Thor, and the last thing he needs is to be ignored by his husband. As a prince, you have a duty to the realm and as a husband, you have a duty to your spouse. Loki falls under both of those categories. If you won’t take care of him because he’s a person, and it’s the right thing to do, at least do it because of the love you have for your realm.” 

Frigga dismissed him after that, and feeling thoroughly scolded, Thor went as quickly as possible to meet his friends. If he hadn’t needed a drink before, he really needed one now.

 

Loki went to the door when he heard a series of gentle knocks.

“Ah, hello, Frigga,” he greeted her, stepping aside to allow her entry.

“Good evening, Loki.”

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” he asked, going back to his seat by the window.

She followed him, sitting on the couch a short distance away. “When you did not appear at the evening meal, I feared you had taken ill. I am merely checking on you.”

“As you can see, I am fine. There is no cause for worry,” he assured her.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” she asked. “Is it too hot here for you?”

Loki looked back down at his bare chest. “I admit, it is a bit warmer than I would like.” Obviously, that was an understatement, and Frigga could sense it.

“I could have more appropriate clothing made for you, if you’d like.”

While it was tempting, Loki didn’t want to inconvenience the queen. “No, I am fine with my current wardrobe.”

“If you’re sure,” she said. “It will be no trouble if you find it becomes unbearable.” They sat in silence for a few long moments before Frigga finally broke it. “Have you enjoyed the books I picked out for you?”

“Oh, yes, very much. Thank you,” he said. “I never knew there could be so many different forms of magic. It’s fascinating, really. Obviously, I am not well versed in any type of magic, but from what I have read, Jotunheim used to use magic for ceremonial purposes, while here in Asgard, it seems to be practiced and studied more academically. The Vanir and Light Elves seem to practice magic in every facet of their lives and the dwarves make use of it in their forges. I never knew magic could be so diverse.”

“Yes, magic is a fluid thing, always taking new shapes and finding new purposes. I’m glad you’re so interested in it,” she said, smiling at him.

He smiled back. “But I can’t help but think of all there is still to learn. Given the limited resources I had access to on Jotunheim, I hardly know anything at all. I have mastered very few spells, and there are so many spells I have yet to even discover.”

“You are always welcome in the magic studies if you have a spell you wish to practice,” she said. “And I could introduce you to other sorcerers. I’m sure they would be glad to help you if you need it, and you know the library is always open to you.”

Loki was truly tempted by the prospect of meeting another sorcerer, but a bit of doubt crept into his mind. Surely they wouldn’t be as welcoming as Frigga. They would be Aesir, after all, and what if they viewed Loki as everyone else in this realm seemed to, with disgust and distrust? “I believe I will continue to discover all that the library has to offer until I have a better understanding of the fundamentals of magic.

“Of course,” Frigga said. “Magic is not something to be rushed, after all.”

 

The next week went by in a similar fashion as that day. He stayed out of the halls as often as possible, and resigned himself to his chambers, taking each meal in his rooms. He didn’t see Thor again after that unless counting the times he would stumble drunkenly into their bed at night, waking Loki from his sleep. It was highly annoying.

Loki didn’t know what his husband did during the day, but it was obvious he was doing his best to avoid Loki. Loki tried to pay it no mind. If his husband couldn’t be bothered to interact with him on a daily basis, then it wasn’t worth Loki’s time to think about him.

Loki filled his days with reading and bathing. Those cool baths were perfect for battling the heat. If Loki weren’t so stubborn he’d take Frigga up on her offer to have new clothes made, but he didn’t want to appear weak. If there was one thing he had learned from his time on Asgard, it was that strength was everything. The people didn’t seem to have a high opinion of him, and Loki knew that while it was obviously due to his being a Jotun, that wasn’t the only reason. He had yet to partake in the sparring that was expected of Aesir men and had instead spent his time reading.

At this point, Loki couldn’t be bothered by what the Aesir thought of him. He enjoyed reading and learning everything that he possibly could about the different forms of magic in the Nine Realms. It could keep his attention for hours on end. He had yet to make use of the magic studies, but he told himself it was because he wasn’t ready yet. There was still so much more to learn before he could begin spell casting. It wasn’t because he was afraid. No, he wasn’t afraid of the looks and whispers he would be subject to, and he wasn’t afraid of the prospect of failure. 

So Loki holed himself up in his chambers, contenting himself with reading about the endless possibilities of magic and spells.

At the end of that first week, Loki received an unexpected visitor.

 

After the run in with Loki in their chambers, Thor quickly began to recognize the pattern. If Loki didn’t appear at the evening meal, then he would be in their chambers. To be sure, Thor would inquire about his husband’s whereabouts to a servant, and his suspicions would be affirmed. Instead of returning to their chambers to bathe and dress for a night out with his friends, Thor went to his old chambers. He had left a fair amount of his belongings there, including a full wardrobe. 

It was tempting to want to return there every night instead of falling into bed next to Loki, but Thor was not a coward. He also wasn’t fond of the possibility of rumors spreading surrounding his marriage. 

It took a few days of receiving disapproving glares from his mother before Thor decided he had had enough. 

“My friends!” Thor announced while the five of them were gathered on the training field. “I believe an excursion to Vanaheim is in order. It has been ages since we hunted together.”

“I do believe you are correct, Thor,” Fandral agreed.

“Aye,” Volstagg seconded, “’Tis been a long while since I have felt the true thrill of the sport, the rush of the hunt.”

“What about you, Lady Sif? Hogun?” Thor asked. “Would you join us on our hunt?”

Hogun merely nodded, but Sif was not so easily convinced. “Is this not bad timing?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” Thor asked, furrowing his brows.

“You are newly married. Is this really the best time to be going on a lengthy journey?”

“I see no problem with it,” Fandral said, clapping Thor on the shoulder. “Surely a man is allowed a break from married life.”

Sif still didn’t look convinced, but Thor cut back in. “It will not be that long, Sif. Will you join us?”

After giving a slow exhale, Sif gave in. “Aye, I can’t leave you alone with this sorry lot, after all.”

Thor should have known that wouldn’t be the end of it. Sif cornered him behind the weapon storage building after the others had gone back to the palace.

“Sif, I don’t want to hear it.”

“But you need to,” she said, taking a steady stance as if this could turn into a fight at any moment. “You know I have no love for the frost giants, and I may not act like a woman, but I can’t help but think of how it would feel to be in his situation. He’s all alone here, Thor.”

“Yes, I do realize that. My mother has been kind enough to give me this speech several times already, so if you would, please, let it be, I would be grateful.”

Sif’s expression dropped to one of sadness. “We’re just trying to help you, Thor. You haven’t been yourself since the war, and anyone can see that this isn’t good for either of you.”

“I thank you for your concern, but you just don’t understand,” he said, looking away from her.

“Then help me to understand.” She was nearly pleading with him at this point.

“How can I do that when I don’t even understand it myself?”

Thor walked away after that, and Sif let him. Besides, he had an audience to arrange with his father.

Getting permission from Odin hadn’t been difficult. He hadn’t made any move to scold Thor for his handling of the situation, but Thor believed that was most likely because his father understood where he was coming from. His father had had a similar experience, after all.

Everything they needed for their hunt was prepared by the week’s end. They would be gone for a fortnight, and for Thor, the trip couldn’t come any sooner, but there was something he had to do first.

Thor took a deep breath before lifting his arm and knocked soundly on the door in front of him three times. With every passing second, the conflict inside him escalated. It was part of the reason why he was so anxious to leave. The feelings he had when he was in Loki’s presence didn’t match with the feeling he had when they were apart. It was like someone had taken the pieces from two separate puzzles and mixed them together, making the whole picture harder to put together than it should have been. 

Thor wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or relieved when his husband finally opened the door. One of his thin brows was raised, and he said, “There is no need to knock on the door to your own chambers.”

“I did not wish to disturb you if you were busy,” Thor tried to explain.

“Did I not have to walk all the way across the room to open the door when you could have done so yourself?” Loki’s reasoning was perfectly sensible, and Thor felt rather foolish. Loki let out a short exhale. “What do you want, Thor?”

“I have come to inform you that I will be embarking on a hunting trip that will last the coming fortnight,” Thor began. “As you are my spouse, it is customary that you accompany me to the Bifrost to see me off.”

“If you allow me a moment to get ready, I’ll be with you shortly,” Loki said, moving towards their bedchambers. It was then that Thor realized Loki had once again forgone a shirt. “Feel free to come in,” Loki threw over his shoulder with a smirk.

Thor stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He looked around the room. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he hadn’t really seen it in a week. Things looked mostly the same, but now there were several stacks of books on the table and a stack on one of the chairs by the window. Another book was laying open on the second chair. 

Thor’s feet moved without him even thinking about it, and before he knew it, he was leaning over the open tome. Was this what Loki spent all his time doing? Reading? What was so interesting that he never left these chambers? Thor had never had any interest in books or anything academic for that matter. 

From what Thor could gather from the diagram and the bits of writing here and there, this particular book seemed to be outlining a spell. Did Loki practice magic?

“I’m ready,” Loki announced as he reentered the room, completely clothed. Thor stood up straight, startled at being caught looking through his husband’s things, but Loki didn’t seem angry. He didn’t even seem interested in what Thor was doing. “Shall we go to the Bifrost?”

They walked stiffly side by side, which Thor thought was strange for Loki. He had seemed so at ease in their chambers.

The awkward silence soon became too much for Thor, so he had to break it somehow. “Are you a sorcerer?” He asked with absolutely no tact.

“Yes,” his husband replied simply. “Is that a problem?”

Thor wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He, as well as most of Asgard, was very distrustful of magic. It was viewed as a woman’s practice and a coward’s weapon, but Thor had to remind himself that Loki was not actually male. Did that make it okay? Possibly, but it didn’t change Thor’s personal views on magic. He had had a lot of experience with a particular sorceress in the past, and things hadn’t ended well. It had been a mostly private affair. Only Sif, Hogun, and Heimdall were privy to what had transpired. Not even his parents knew about it.

Nevertheless, that was in the past, and it had nothing to do with Loki.

“No, not at all,” Thor finally answered.

In front of the palace on the road that led straight to the Bifrost, Thor’s horse was waiting for them. It was then that Thor realized there was a problem. Thor’s horse, Tollak, wasn’t particularly friendly. He only allowed Thor and two of the stable boys to touch him, and seeing as Loki and yet to learn how to ride and there was no other available horse, it looked like they would be walking to the observatory. 

Before Thor could voice any of this, Loki was approaching Tollak, and his husband had a hand on his muzzle just as Thor had a word of warning on his tongue. He was stunned into silence when Tollak merely nodded his head up and down. 

“What’s his name?” Loki asked.

“Um, Tollak,” Thor answered, still in shock.

Loki gave him a peculiar look. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought you were about to lose a few fingers.”

Loki actually laughed. “And why would that be?”

“He,” Thor said, gesturing to the horse. “Doesn’t like most people. You’re only the fourth person he has allowed to touch him.”

“Really?” Loki said, turning back to Tollak so that he could talk to the horse. “But you’re just a sweetheart, aren’t you?”

Thor snorted in amusement as Tollak whinnied happily. “Don’t soften him up too much. He’s supposed to be a warhorse.”

With the problem of transportation solved, Thor boosted Loki up onto Tollak’s back and climbed on behind him. They set off towards the Bifrost.

They were the last to arrive. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif were already on their own horses, with their weapons and camping supplies strapped on as well. The king and queen were also present, and Heimdall stood at his post on the raised dais. After helping Loki down off Tollak’s back, Thor rode over to his friends.

“Are we all ready?” he asked.

“Aye, Thor,” Fandral responded. The other’s nodded in agreement. 

The Bifrost began to whirl as Heimdall activated it, and Thor turned back to bid farewell to his parents and his husband. A moment later, he could feel his body being pulled through the portal.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when I don't write the whole chapter in one sitting. It takes, like, a month and a half for me to finish it. Originally, I planned for this chapter to be twice this long, but I finally decided to give up after writing the first section. The second section with be the next chapter, and hopefully, I'll write it over Thanksgiving break. Also, I'm not pleased with this chapter at all, but I needed to post it, or I'd never get anywhere with the story.

Thor and his friends landed on Vanaheim moments later in a swirl of colors. 

“This way,” Thor said, guiding Tollak forward and away from the Bifrost site. The others followed closely behind him.

What is it we are hunting, exactly?” Volstagg asked. “Something with plenty of meat on its bones, I hope.”

The group laughed and Thor joined in. He felt lighter just being away from Asgard, but he was in no way completely feeling like himself yet.

“My friend, must you always think with your stomach?” Fandral asked, a large grin covering his face.

“At least he thinks, Fandral,” Sif joked. “You would benefit from such an activity.”

“You wound me deeply, Lady Sif.” He placed a hand over his chest in mock hurt.

The group continued their playful banter as they rode through the dense jungles of Vanaheim. Thor joined in every once in a while, but for the most part, he was content to just listen and enjoy the company of his friends.

They came across a decently sized clearing not far from a stream, and Thor motioned for them to stop.

“This looks like a good place to set up camp,” he said as he dismounted.

The others followed his lead, and they began to unpack, setting out their supplies so that they could free their horses of their burden. Next, they led the horses to the stream for water.

“Shall we continue on foot from here, Thor?’ Fandral asked him.

“Yes, it will be best if we leave the horses behind,” he agreed. “It will be easier to track our prey.”

They each took up their weapons and went deeper into the lush jungle. After a while, they came across a set of tracks.

“Looks like a fox,” Thor said, beginning to walk in that direction, following the tracks.

Volstagg pouted, and the others laughed at him. “Don’t worry,” Fandral said, patting him on the back. “We’ll be here long enough for you to catch enough to eat.”

They were all as silent as possible after that. No one dared to make any noise for fear of scaring off their prey. Off in the distance, they could hear the faint sound of rustling leaves, and Thor continued to lead their party in that direction.

As they got closer, Thor gestured for the others to spread out. Fandral and Volstagg went around the left and Sif and Hogun went right. They hoped to surround their prey so as to more easily take it out. Except that it wasn’t a fox they met in the clearing when they charged in. It was a bilgesnipe. Startled, the creature reared its head, and released a heinous screech. It would be best if they retreated, but their presence only made it angry, and that left them no other choice. To run would only mean they would be pursued. There was no other choice but to stand a fight.

“Thor! What do we do?” Fandral called from the other side of the animal. 

As the group circled the beast, Thor gave them instructions. “Fandral, Volstagg, you two distract it. Keep its attention off of us. Sif, Hogun, help me look for weaknesses. The three of us will bring down this monster.” The other four nodded their agreement and went to work.

Fandral and Volstagg ran in front of the bilgesnipe to get in its line of sight. They took turns running in and swinging their weapons around in huge arcs, doing their best to keep it focused on them while the others attacked if from the other sides.

Hogun did his best to attack from behind, mindful of its powerful tail and back legs. He ducked and wove around each attack sent his way. There were times when the beast would turn its head, attempting to turn its attention on the mace wielder, but either Volstagg or Fandral would land a heavy blow on the beast, further enraging it and causing it to momentarily forget about the man attacking it from behind.

Sif and Thor stood at either side of the bilgesnipe, Sif on its right and Thor on its left. Sif used her long sword to stab at the creature’s belly and side, thinking they would be the most vulnerable, but she wasn’t having much luck. The protective layer of scales didn’t stop on its back but seemed to cover its entire body. Regardless, Sif didn’t give up. She continued slicing and stabbing, looking for an opening.

When it became clear the creature was well protected, Thor grasped Mjolnir tightly and swung the hammer around, pulling himself into the air. He called to his powers as God of Thunder and summoned a storm. Heavy rain began to pour, and lightning lit up the sky around the battle. Thor directed the brunt of it at the bilgesnipe, hoping to, at the very least, disorient it. His efforts appeared to be working. With a mighty roar, Thor summoned the most powerful bolt he could and zapped the monster. 

As it was electrocuted, the creature thrashed around and its tail caught Hogun from behind, sending him crashing to the ground. With the beast lying limply on the ground, Thor brought Mjolnir above his head and back down with as much force as possible, smashing the beast’s skull.

With the fight now over, Sif went to check on Hogun.

“Are you alright?” she asked. Hogun accepted her help in standing and nodded.

“That was a fierce creature,” Fandral mused.

“Aye,” Volstagg agreed. “What was it even doing here? I wasn’t aware bilgesnipes inhabited this area.”

“It is uncommon for them to be found in this region but not unheard of,” Thor said. “It appears we were just lucky enough to run across one.”

“You would call this encounter “lucky”?” Sif asked.”

“Of course,” Thor laughed. “It was a thrilling battle, was it not?”

“It was, but it was also reckless. Hogun could have been seriously injured.”

“But he was not,” Thor argued.

“This time, maybe, but next time we might not be so lucky,” Sif argued right back. “We need to be more careful. There’s no telling what else we’ll run into.”

Thor exhaled heavily. “I apologize for my brashness, my friends. If you wish to return to Asgard, I would understand.”

“I will continue this journey with you, Thor,” Fandral spoke up.

“As will I,” Volstagg added.

“And I,” said Hogun.

Everyone looked at Sif. “I did say I wouldn’t leave you alone with them, didn’t I?”

They laughed, and Hogun cracked a smile.

Thor approached the body, and pulled out a knife so that he could cut off some of the spoils. He collected the horns, some teeth, and a number of scales. The others also took things for themselves.

The first week went really well. They only encountered the one bilgesnipe, and they had successfully hunted quite a few foxes and several bears. They moved to a new part of the jungle each day. They set up camp, hunted for the majority of the day, ate whatever meat they caught, and slept. Or, Thor slept well for the first week. It was the second week when things got… strange.

It wasn’t immediate. 

It started with faint memories on the very edge of his consciousness, leaving him grasping at smoke and watching as it slipped through his feelings. As hard as he tried, he could never remember those dreams. That was how it went the last two days of the first week. At the beginning of the second week, Thor wasn’t so lucky. Those ghosts of dreams had been pleasant enough, never disturbing him from his slumber. They only seemed to cause him mild perplexity because he wasn’t in the habit of having such dreams only to have them two days in a row. It wasn’t normal for him, but he didn’t pay them much mind. 

That second week the dreams became clearer. Almost like bringing the picture into focus, Thor would be able to recall more and more of each dream he had, and each time he woke, it was with powerful emotions. 

Thor would dream almost constantly of Asgard. That in and of itself wasn’t strange. Thor dreamed of his home often enough, sometimes reliving memories from his childhood, sometimes dreaming of new adventures for him and his friends. These dreams were nothing like that. While the majority of Thor’s dreams took place outdoors, these dreams showed Thor the halls of the palace. It wasn’t perfectly clear, but Thor knew his home well enough to know where he was. 

The strange part was that Thor always seemed to be alone. Thor was so very rarely alone in his day to day life that it transferred over into his dreams. There were always others present. That wasn’t true of these dreams. Thor was sure there was never truly another person there. At least, he was sure for the first few days. That changed around the middle of the week, when Thor would wake with the feeling of someone watching him. He became more and more aware of the feeling of being watched inside his dreams, but it wasn’t until the night before they were scheduled to return to Asgard that Thor finally dreamed of another person.

For the entire week, Thor’s dreams had led him on an endless walk through the halls of the palace. He walked past countless doors, but never walked through them. He visited the busiest areas but never saw another person. Finally, his walking came to an end.

Thor stopped before a large set of double doors, waiting a moment before pushing them open. He strode though them and found himself in his chambers, not his old chambers but the ones he now shared with his husband. Passing through the sitting room, Thor entered the bedroom and found that it wasn’t empty like he had been expecting it to be. His husband was lying in bed. Thor didn’t have control of his feet but they carried him forward. Without his consent, Thor’s body lifted itself onto the bed before rolling as close to Loki as possible. He wrapped an arm around Loki’s bare waist. 

Opening his eyes, Loki turned to face Thor. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight,” he said. 

“Why’s that?” Thor heard himself ask.

“You never return so early. You are always busy enjoying the company of your friends.”

“I do enjoy their merriment,” Thor agreed. “But I also find you to be a pleasant companion.”

Loki hummed noncommittally. “Is that why you spend so little time with me?”

“I spend time with you,” Thor said, not sure if he was trying to convince Loki or himself.

“You do but only when it is expected of you. I very rarely see you outside of public functions.”

Perhaps that was true. “Please forgive me,” Thor implored. “I have been neglectful of my duties toward you, and for that I am truly sorry.”

“It will take more than your words to win my forgiveness. I require your mind.” One of Loki’s fingers reached up to tough his forehead. “Your heart.” The finger pulled away only to relocate to the place over his heart. “And your body…” Loki trailed off. Thor could feel his heart beat begin to quicken as Loki trailed his finger down Thor’s sternum and over his abs. Thor felt himself leaning forward, and Loki was looking right at him, deep into his eyes. Would he kiss Loki? Surely he didn’t really want to. This dream was playing a trick on him. As much as Thor tried to stop himself, his dream self had a mind of its own. He continued to close the distance between his lips and Loki’s, but just as they were about to touch, Loki’s finger was on his lips. “Not so fast, Husband,” Loki chided. “I’ll make you work for it.”

Thor woke with a start as if from some terrible nightmare, but his body, his treacherous body, was telling him it had been anything but. His cock was thick and aching between his legs, and it seemed like every inch of his skin was covered in a sheen of sweat. 

Thor looked around the campsite to see if anyone else was awake. No one was, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Quietly, so as not to wake the others, Thor stood and walked a ways into the woods before pushing his pants down and taking himself in hand. He hated everything about this, but more than anything, he hated the confusion. How did a dream about his Jotun husband drive him to such arousal? 

Thor jerked himself off quickly and efficiently, doing his best not to think about how he had almost kissed Loki, even if only in a dream. He didn’t really want to do that, did he? Certainly not. He was repulsed at the mere thought of his husband… Wasn’t he? Thor’s pulsing erection was telling him that he wasn’t, but his head was telling him he was. Thor just stopped thinking about it all together at that point. He needed to be level headed before he could think about it again, so he finished himself off as quickly as possible. After he had finished spurting globs of cum into his hand, Thor cleaned up, pulled his pants back up, and returned to the campsite. Thankfully, the rest of the night was dream free. 

There was no hunting scheduled for the last day. The group would pack up the horses, and spend the day journeying back to the Bifrost site. To the rest of the group, Thor was surprisingly quiet during the morning. He hadn’t said much since he’d woken, only greeting his friends briefly before going about packing his own belongings.

Thor was too lost in his thoughts to pay attention to the others. He couldn’t stop thinking about the dream, and it was slowly driving him mad. It made no more sense in the morning than it had after he’d woken up. If anything, the more he thought about it, the more it confused him. 

As Thor was strapping his pack onto Tollak’s back, he felt a hand on his shoulder, so he turned around.

“Thor, are you okay?” Sif asked. He could see the concern in her eyes.

“Yes, I’m quite alright,” he told her. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ve been rather quiet all morning. Are you sure you’re fine?”

Thor looked quickly between the other three and saw that they were busy packing and not paying attention to Thor and Sif. “In all honestly, I’m not sure.”

Sif offered him a kind smile. “You know I’m here if you need to talk.”

She was about to walk away when he spoke again. “I think that’s exactly what I need.”

She nodded and began to walk away from the camp. Thor followed closely behind her until they were safely out of earshot of the others. She sat down and gestured for him to do the same. Then she waited for him to speak.

Thor took a deep breath before beginning. “I have been having strange dreams lately, and I wasn’t sure what they meant. Night after night I walked the halls of Asgard, seemingly going nowhere. That is, until last night.”

Thor paused there, and Sif had to prompt him to continue. “What happened last night, Thor?”

He stared straight ahead as he answered. “Loki was there.”

Then there was more silence.

“What do you mean ‘Loki was there’?” She asked. “Did you see him, interact with him?”

Thor laughed humorlessly. “You could say that.” He didn’t elaborate.

Sif released a heaving sigh. “You do realize I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

Thor put his head in his hands. “I know, but I don’t know if I can talk about it.”

“Okay, just take this time to put your thoughts in order, and I’ll sit here while you do it. Then you can tell me whatever it is that’s bothering you.”

Thor thought about it for a few moments, but he knew there wasn’t any way around it. He had to come right out and say it. “I almost kissed Loki.”

‘You almost kissed him? In your dream, you mean?” Thor nodded. She hummed. “Why does that bother you?”

Thor turned to her with wide eyes. “You know perfectly well why!”

“Yes, you’ve told me, but I fail to see how I should give any credit to your reasoning.”

“But—“

“But nothing, Thor. He is your husband, so there is nothing wrong with kissing him.” She paused for a moment. “You do realize he’s your husband, correct?”

“What? Of course I do! It’s just—“

Sif held up a hand. “Thor, stop for a second.” Surprisingly, he did. “You are married to him, so regardless of any excuses you can come up with, it’s okay to want to kiss him.”

“I don’t want to. It just happened.”

Sif gave him a look that clearly said I don’t believe you. “It didn’t happen, Thor. It was a dream. Your mind created this scenario. Ergo, you want to kiss him.”

Thor really didn’t have anything to say in the face of that logic, so they sat in silence for several minutes.

“I hate to keep pushing, but how do you feel about this?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“I’m just really confused,” he confessed. “I remember trying to stop myself, but I couldn’t. It was completely out of my control. I felt helpless.” Thor couldn’t make eye contact with Sif as he said this, but he knew she understood.

“Do you believe this dream meant to hurt you?”

“No,” he admitted. He knew how ridiculous that was. 

“Then what do you think the point of it was? Why do you think you had it?”

Thor stared straight ahead of him once again as he thought about it, and suddenly, a thought hit him out of nowhere. “Do you believe I’ve been neglecting him?”

Sif gave him that face again like she couldn’t believe he was really asking that. “You have been married only a short while, you hardly spend any time with him, and you’ve just spent the last two weeks away from him.”

“Is that a ‘yes’?” he asked.

She slapped him on the shoulder. “Of course it’s a ‘yes’!” she exclaimed.

The two sat together for several minutes longer before they decided to head back to their friends. 

“Ah, there they are,” Fandral said by way of acknowledgement. “I was beginning to wonder where you two had wandered off to.”

“Afraid we’d leave you in the jungle, Fandral?” Sif asked. “How would you ever survive without us here to protect you?”

“Very funny, Sif. I had merely noticed you two were not here to help with the packing,” Fandral replied. Thor looked around to see that nearly everything had been loaded onto their horses. “And by the looks of things, we didn’t even need your help.”

As Hogun hoisted the final bag onto his steed, Thor called for everyone to mount. In the past two weeks, they had made their way through the jungle in a giant circle, and they were no more than a few hours ride from the Bifrost site. By the time they returned to Asgard, it was nearly time for the evening meal.


End file.
